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Kindness & Human Kinship as an Agent of Change

By Shaherazad Umbreen

December 02, 2017

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Life is good because of many things. For me, it is because of family, friendship, flamingos and a firm purpose in life. But, once in a while, it is also because of unexpected kindness; the sort which warms my heart, mists up my eyes and unselfishly, changes lives.

This unexpected kindness came along a few weeks ago when a Lichfield based brand called Voyager Leather got in touch with me. They had seen the work that Shoes by Shaherazad is doing to empower women and girls around the world and, to my absolute joy, the team at Voyager Leather wanted to get involved and support girls to lift themselves out of poverty.

Voyager Leather is a brand which sells premium leather bags for men. This includes laptop bags, doctor's bags, rucksacks, wallets and all sorts of leather luggage. The founder, David, wanted to make a statement to the world by showing that the empowerment of women and girls is not solely the responsibility of females. "Men also have a clear role to play" he said. "For centuries, women have been held back because of the privileges afforded to one half of the human race. I want to actively do something to help." David doesn't have a need for heels, so he made a corporate donation instead.

And so, to put a new twist on an existing feminist quote. He believed he could, so he did.

A donation of £500 was made by Voyager Leather to support two of the projects currently partnering with Shoes by Shaherazad. £250 was used to buy two bicycles so that young girls at the Khoj School in Pakistan can make the arduous journey to school and gain an education. A further £250 was used to fund the education of a girl for a full year at NIGEE's Empowerment Centre in Kenya. Both of these projects focus on enabling girls to build sustainable futures by lifting themselves out of poverty.

Why is kindness and human kinship such a powerful agent of change? Because it affirms that we do not need miracles to change the world, we only need each other.

Many thanks to the team at Voyager Leather for donating £500 to girls' empowerment via Shoes by Shaherazad. Life will now be good for 3 young girls who are the direct beneficiaries of your kindness. Bicycles and books will help girls to change the world!